Gaul

Borrowed from French Gaule (“Gaul”), from Middle French Gaule (“Gaul”), from Old French Gaule, Waulle (“Gaul”, a term used to translate unrelated Latin Gallia (“Gaul”)), from Frankish *Walha(land) (“Gaul, Land of the Romans, foreigners”), from Proto-West Germanic *walh (“foreigner, Roman, Celt”), from Proto-Germanic *walhaz (“an outlander, foreigner, Celt”), probably of Celtic origin, from the same source as Latin Volcae (name of a Celtic tribe in South Germany, which later emigrated to Gaul).

Akin to Old High German Walh, Walah (“a Celt, Roman, Gaul”), Old English Wealh, Walh (“a non-Germanic foreigner, Celt/Briton/Welshman”), Old Norse Valir (“Gauls, Frenchmen”). More at Wales/Welsh, Cornwall, Walloon, and Vlach/Wallachia.

Despite their similar appearance, Latin Gallia is not the origin of French Gaule. During the evolution from Latin to French, stressed initial /ˈɡa-/ yielded /dʒa/ > /ʒa/ (cf. Latin gamba > French jambe), while unstressed final /-lia/ yielded /ʎə/ > /j/ (cf. Latin filia > French fille). Thus, the regular outcome of Latin Gallia is /ʒaj/ ⟨Jaille⟩, which is attested in several French toponyms: La Jaille-Yvon, Saint-Mars-la-Jaille, etc.

• IPA^(key): /ɡɔːl/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ɡɑl/
• Rhymes: -ɔːl
• Homophone: gall

Gaul

1. (chiefly historical) A historical region roughly corresponding to modern France, Luxembourg, Belgium, most of Switzerland, and parts of Northern Italy (Lombardy), the Netherlands, and Germany west of the Rhine.

   Hypernyms: (historical) Celtic Gaul, Belgic Gaul, Aquitaine, Cisalpine Gaul, Transalpine Gaul, Gallia Narbonensis

Gaul (plural Gauls)

1. A person from Gaul.

• Gaulish

• Agul, Gula, gula, ugal

From Middle High German gūl, of obscure ultimate origin, but possibly ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *geutan (“to pour, cast”), referring to a powerful male horse, a "seed-pouring animal."^[1] Cognate with Dutch guil (“old horse”).

• IPA^(key): /ɡaʊl/

• Audio:

  (file)

Gaul m (strong, genitive Gaules or Gauls, plural Gäule)

1. (regional) horse
2. (more widespread) hack, nag (bad, old or incapable horse)

   Synonym: Klepper

• einem geschenkten Gaul schaut man nicht ins Maul

• “Gaul” in Duden online
• “Gaul” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

• kaul (Wiesemann spelling system)

From Middle High German gūl, of obscure ultimate origin, but possibly ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *geutan (“to pour, cast”), referring to a powerful male horse, a "seed-pouring animal." Cognate with German Gaul.

• IPA^(key): /kaʊ̯l/

Gaul m (plural Geil, diminutive Geilche)

1. horse

   Die Geil sin schnell.

   The horses are fast.

• Online Hunsrik Dictionary

From Middle High German gūl, of obscure ultimate origin, but possibly ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *geutan (“to pour, cast”), referring to a powerful male horse, a "seed-pouring animal." Cognate with German Gaul, Middle Low German gûl, and Dutch guil (“old horse”).

Gaul m (plural Geil)

1. horse

From Middle Low German galle, from Old Saxon galla, from Proto-West Germanic *gallā, from Proto-Germanic *gallǭ.

Gaul f (plural Gaule)

1. gall, bile